# Shopify vs Swell

| Attribute | Shopify | Swell |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 83.4 (72% (medium)) | 81.6 (52% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Shopify is a commerce platform designed for businesses of all sizes to create storefronts, manage inventory, process payments, and sell across multiple channels online and in person. It provides pre-built themes, customizable experiences, and integrations with thousands of apps to support independent sellers through to global enterprises. | A SaaS ecommerce platform enabling retailers to build storefronts and manage subscriptions, digital products, and physical goods through a visual dashboard and flexible APIs. |
| features.capabilities | `{"headless":true,"free_tier":true,"open_source":false,"b2b_features":true,"platform_type":"hosted_saas","self_hostable":true,"payments_model":"built_in","pci_compliance":true,"pos_omnichannel":true,"extension_ecosystem":"21,000+ commerce apps available in Shopify App Store","multi_currency_language":true}` | `{"headless":true,"open_source":true,"platform_type":"hosted_saas","self_hostable":true,"payments_model":"built_in","pci_compliance":true,"extension_ecosystem":"Apps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov"}` |
| integrations.count | 21,000 | 10 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Adyen"},{"name":"Manhattan"},{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"Hydrogen"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Salesforce"},{"name":"Xero"},{"name":"QuickBooks"},{"name":"Shop app"},{"name":"Dropshipping apps"},{"name":"Print-on-demand apps"}]` | `[{"name":"Klaviyo"},{"name":"ShipStation"},{"name":"PayPal"},{"name":"Braintree"},{"name":"Sezzle"},{"name":"Resend"},{"name":"Omnisend"},{"name":"Shopify"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"CA","primaryMarkets":["GB","US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"£19/month (billed yearly)","features":["World's best checkout","Online store","Unlimited products","In-person selling","Multiple sales channels","24/7 support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Grow","summary":"£49/month (billed yearly)","features":["World's best checkout","Online store","Unlimited products","In-person selling","Multiple sales channels","24/7 support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":49,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced","summary":"£259/month (billed yearly)","features":["World's best checkout","Online store","Unlimited products","In-person selling","Multiple sales channels","24/7 support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":259,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"£1,800/month (3-year term, contact for details)","features":["Unlimited retail locations","20x admin API rate limits","300+ hours technical launch support","Dedicated technical account managers"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1800,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free 3-day trial, then 3 months for £1/month. Plans from £19/month (Basic) to £1,800+/month (Plus, enterprise). Annual and 3-year commitments available.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.shopify.com/first-sale/product-pricing-calculator","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:44:17.179Z","freeTrialDays":3,"startingPrice":{"amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$29/month billed yearly","features":["Basic reports","Email & chat support"],"minSeats":2,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":2,"when":"annual sales exceed $50K"}],"description":"Get started with the essentials to launch your store.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"2","data_storage_gb":"1GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$50K","api_requests_monthly":"100K"}},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$79/month billed yearly","features":["Basic reports","Email & chat support"],"minSeats":5,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":79,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":1.5,"when":"annual sales exceed $250K"}],"description":"Everything you need to launch and grow a new online store.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"5","data_storage_gb":"3GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$250K","api_requests_monthly":"500K"}},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"$299/month billed yearly","features":["Advanced reports","Priority support","Role-based permissions","International price lists"],"minSeats":15,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":299,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":1,"when":"annual sales exceed $1M"}],"description":"Priority support and time-saving features for larger teams.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"15","data_storage_gb":"10GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$1M","api_requests_monthly":"2M"}},{"free":false,"name":"Unlimited","summary":"$2250/month billed yearly","features":["Advanced reports","Priority support","Developer support","Role-based permissions"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":0.4,"when":"annual sales exceed $5M"}],"description":"Unlimited scalability, granular control, and better volume rates.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"Unlimited","data_storage_gb":"Unlimited","annual_sales_ceiling":"$5M","api_requests_monthly":"Unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Custom","summary":"Custom pricing","description":"Priority technical support and negotiated pricing for merchants over $10M in annual sales.","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $29/month billed yearly. Free tier and trial available. Usage-based API request and data storage overages.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.swell.is/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-04T08:34:01.545Z","startingPrice":{"amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | mid | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | 100 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (E-commerce Platforms)

| Capability | Shopify | Swell |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Platform type | Hosted all-in-one SaaS | Hosted all-in-one SaaS |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / open tier | ✓ | - |
| Transaction fees beyond plan | - | - |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments model | Built-in payments | Built-in payments |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| Headless / API-first storefront | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| PCI-DSS compliance provided | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Reach** |  |  |
| Multi-currency / multi-language | ✓ | - |
| **Selling** |  |  |
| B2B / wholesale features | ✓ | - |
| POS / omnichannel | ✓ | - |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| App / extension ecosystem size | 21,000+ commerce apps available in Shopify App Store | Apps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:59:57.115Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*